SPRINGFIELD – Dr. Rob DeSalle, associate
curator from the American Museum of Natural History’s Department of Entomology
and co-director of the museum’s molecular laboratories, will speak on "Dinosaur
Genomes in Jurassic Park" at 10 a.m. on Thursday, April 12, in the University
of Illinois at Springfield’s Brookens Auditorium. The event is free and open
to the public.

DeSalle’s recent project is Genome: The Code of Life, a museum exhibit
slated to open April 7. Designed to introduce students to the basics of genetics,
the exhibit shows the story behind the mapping of the human genome, and the
potential applications and significant questions and issues associated with
this new knowledge. The human genome is currently a topic in the news and in
the curriculum and research in this area may potentially have a direct impact
on the health and decisions of every student, family, and community. With powerful
stories, dramatic images, and engaging hands-on activities, this display will
create a range of learning and teaching opportunities for students and teachers
from the upper-elementary grades through high school, supporting courses in
science, life science, biology, social studies, and history.

DeSalle and science writer David Lindley are the co-authors of The
Science of Jurassic Park and the Lost World: Or How to Build a Dinosaur,
published in 1997. Analyzing the plausibility of Jurassic Park's premise
— building a dinosaur from DNA preserved in amber — their book connects today's
science fiction with tomorrow's science.

DeSalle’s fields of specialization are molecular evolution, popular genetics,
molecular systematics, and developmental biology. His current research concerns
the molecular systematics of the drosophilidae, or fruit fly, and the use of
this group as a model for systematics. A second aspect of DeSalle’s research
concerns the conservation genetics of endangered species.

DeSalle received his B.A. in biological sciences from the University
of Chicago and his Ph.D. in biology from Washington University in St. Louis
in 1984.

DeSalle’s last exhibit, Epidemic! The World of Infectious Disease, examined
in detail how best to control the worldwide spread of infectious disease. This
exhibit explored the biological and ecological factors that influence the causes,
spread, and control of infectious disease, and investigated the ways in which
different cultures meet and fight devastating diseases.